On Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1 Part 1

One day, some months ago, I suggested to my husband that, as a project, I could cook my way through MtAoFC and blog about it. A few weeks later, I read an article about Julie Powell, who had already done so, to great acclaim and success. I was, of course, pissed at her, until I contribute to the fame and success in my own small way by buying her book. And reading it obsessively. Twice. In a week. It is very good. (I've linked to the Amazon page for it before, but just in case: Julie and Julia.

I was struck by how similar I am to Powell, or Powell is to me (aside from the rhyming last names): she is prone to hysteria and anxiety, is a massive potty mouth, and, at the time of the project, was struggling to find her way. I am, in an attempt at self-praise recommended by my therapist, more practical, patient, and sanitary than she (at least in comparison to the version of herself she puts forth in J&J). However, I am deeply grateful to Powell for two things: doing the project years before I had the idea or owned the book, therefore eliminating what would have assuredly been a great amount of stress and expense from my life; and for turning me back on to MtAoFC.

Powell says of the book that it "has the power of shock" (13). While she qualifies that by reminding us that "[s]elf-proclaimed foodies spare a smile of fond condescension [for MtAoFC] before returning to their Chez Panisse cookbooks" (14, at the time of its publication, Craig Claiborn raved about it in the Times, and, according to David Kamp's fantastic book, The United States of Arugula, it sold 100,000 copies and went through five editions in a year (88-90). It was the status book among foodies then, and to have mastered the skills therein was truly a mark of prestige (Kamp 91-92). In fact, the founder of Chez Panisse, Alice Waters (her info can be found at the Chez Panisse site), loved the book, and let it lead her to Elizabeth David and her book French Country Cooking (Kamp 136). (Under Jeremiah Tower, Chez Panisse went through its own decadent French period (Kamp 150-154)). Powell, upon rediscovering MtAoFC in her mother's kitchen, says of the now unfashionable and far too buttery book:

But reading MtAoFC - childishly simple and dauntingly complex, incantatory and comforting - I thought this was what prayer must feel like. Sustenance bound up with anticipation and want. Reading MtAoFC was like reading pornographic Bible verses. (15)

Needless to say, I was a little turned on.

I first bought MtAoFC for John during one of our summers apart while he worked at a law firm. He has made one recipe from the book, Boeuf a la mode, which is not beef with ice cream, but beef braised in read wine. For those of us lucky enough to be at the table the night he served it, the dish was succulent, and yes, a little sexy. However, after reading J&J, I started reading MtAoFC like one might read a novel, and decided that for our Friday date night, I would make some French food.

I started with aigo bouido (garlic soup) because, frankly, we love garlic. I followed the recipe strictly, although I did use one of the variations, the soupe a l'ail aux pommes de terre (saffron-flavored garlic soup with potatoes). I left out the saffron because we are on a budget. This soup is delicate and gentle, without the spice and spark of roasted, or sauteed garlic. It was also the only dish on the menu without butter in it.

For the next course (or the side dish) I made Concombres au beurre, using the variation, Concombres aux champignons et a la creme (creamed cucumbers with mushrooms). We never cook cucumbers in our house, but that will change. This dish takes a while, and involves many more steps than you ever thought you'd use with cucumbers, but oh. The taste is wonderful: sharp from vinegar, but with the warm roasted flavor of anything baked in the oven, and of course, the cream. You should make this dish.

For the last dish, I made Supremes de volaille a brun (chicken breasts sauteed in butter and with a brown butter sauce). The dish is so simple. The hardest parts are clarifying the butter and controlling the temperature of the butter for the sauce (I used a non-stick skillet and guessed at the color of the butter. When I tossed in the parsley, it foamed up something crazy). Despite simply being browned chicken breasts with parsley, this dish was beautiful: the gold crust of the chicken topped with the deep green of the parsley, and surrounded by the brown butter. And the taste was phenomenal. Lemony, and parsley-y and buttery, of course.

Despite the fact that we could barely move after eating, it was a great date. There's something about cooking elaborately for yourself and your lover. Food may be historical (as the barrage of links above indicate), but really, food is always about the moment in which it is eaten. I wasn't thinking of Julie Powell, or Julia Child, or Escoffier when I was eating: I was thinking of the subtly and variety of the flavors in my mouth, of the happiness on my husband's face, and of the quietness of the house. It is important to know where our food comes from, why we eat it, and how to prepare it well, but we can't let this knowledge stop us from cooking, eating, and enjoying. Occasionally, there will be a MtAoFC entry, and hopefully, they won't be all as dredged in history as this one is. I want to share what I know, but the most important thing is that many people have been moved by all the knowledge and people listed above to do one vital thing: cook and eat. Really, it's about pleasure. Pleasure that is brought by knowledge, by seeking more knowledge, by skill, and learning more skills, and ultimately, by a piece of chicken covered in butter and a cucumber covered in cream.